Distant Dawn
by Zerodius
Summary: Ten generations before Spyro's quest began, another purple dragon set out on a journey of self-discovery, seeking the significance of its power. Unknown to the dragon, its journey will change the world... forever.
1. Purple Hatchling

**OFF: **At long last... my new major Spyro fanfiction is completed!

This is Distant Dawn, the prequel to the Legend of Spyro trilogy, taking place ten generations earlier. I have worked very carefully on this fanfiction and it will be, when completed, much longer than Prophecy, my last major Spyro fanfic, proved to be.

This will also be my first M-rated fanfic posted on ; some chapters later on will feature levels of violence and detailed romance that wouldn't be possible to properly describe with a T rating (my previous self-imposed limit). Since censorship would hurt the plot and some of the symbolism that is to appear later on, the rating has been cranked to 's limit.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Distant Dawn**

**Chapter 1: Purple Hatchling**

* * *

Pleasant warmth washed all over as the gentle light of the sun caressed the body. Eyes closed, mind wandering, there was nothing but peace, the soul as still as the unmoving eternity, dreams of happiness wandering within the sleeping spirit.

A soft sigh escaped the young reptile's jaws, the frame twitching slightly as it lay lazily on its side on the hot stone panel, letting the sun and the stone warm its blood, instilling serenity into its soul.

The reptile barely noticed it as the sound of claws brushing against the floor filled the air, an imposing, heavy presence making its way toward the small sleeping soul.

Its wise yellow eyes gazing down upon the youngster, the large elder dragon did not move. It watched the creature sleep for a few more seconds before it felt that it was time to fulfill his duty.

"Malefor!"

Startled, although not pulled out of its dreamy state, the dragon hatchling let out a whimper before rolling on its other side, letting out a second, more pitiful whimper.

"Just... one more... minute..." he grumbled in his sleep, not wishing to return among the conscious so soon.

"Wake up, young dragon!" demanded the elder dragon once more.

A twitch in its wings and a shiver running through its entire body brought the dragon hatchling back to reality. Opening his eyes, Malefor padded into the air, getting a feel of his surroundings and current position before finally gripping the stone floor, lifting his body upward as he got up.

The small dragon blinked a few times before turning to face the Fire Guardian and one of the four elder dragons, the large and proud Infernus. Although his face didn't say much, the hatchling had learnt to read his adoptive parents' blank expressions and well, he knew what was coming.

"How many times did I tell you not to sleep in the middle of the day, young dragon?"

The dragon looked down shamefully. Why was he here? All he wanted was to take a short nap and besides, he made sure to double-check that this area would not be used by anyone today. Why would Infernus go out of his way to find him, wake him up, and then give him a speech about it?

"How many?" repeated the elder dragon.

The younger dragon looked up into the eyes of the red dragon, a begging, pathetic expression on his face. How many times? Well, there was that time when he took a nap on top of that roof, then that other time when he slept for a short while in that Spirit Gem kart...

His expression grew progressively panicked as he began to realize that he had broken that rule quite a few times. In fact, too many times for him to count them. He struggled to come up with an answer yet, he knew that lying was not an option. Okay, so he sleep anywhere anytime... but he's not a liar! He doesn't want to lie to Infernus... and it's not like it would help his case anyway.

Finding no solution and guessing that the elder dragon was running out of patience, the hatchling looked down once more, an expression of resignation on his face.

"I... I lost count."

The red dragon slowly nodded as a response. "Indeed, many times."

He looked up to face the older dragon, dread rising in his mind. He knew what was coming next...

"You do realize that laziness is not tolerated, young dragon?"

"Aaaw! But I have nothing to do!" protested the young dragon. In a way, it was more of a sudden reaction than a real attempt at protesting. As much as he hated it, he knew it wouldn't change his fate.

"This is no excuse, dragon! Maybe that if you were putting as much effort into training as you put into finding places to sleep in the middle of the day, you would have gained use of an element, by now."

His pitiful expression began to change, frustration rising. He clenched his fangs, trying to keep himself from hissing in anger. As if he hadn't tried! It wasn't his fault if no one could figure what kind of dragon he was and what element he was meant to master in the first place! Twelve years old already, two to three years from puberty and becoming a juvenile... and yet, still nothing. All other dragons were at least novices when it came to the elements by now...

But well, it wasn't as if getting angry at Infernus would bring him anywhere. Not only will it only make his case worse but he can't really blame him. He never knew his parents and Infernus had accepted to take care of him, giving him food, shelter, and care. All he could do is stay silent, calm down, and back down. And so, he did, calm returning to his face.

"No matter. As your punishment, you shall clean the street by the Dragon Temple."

Malefor's eyes shot open as he looked into Infernus' eyes once again. His entire body tensed and a feeling of horror gripped him.

"What? No! Please! Not that!" he begged.

But the elder dragon shook his head. "No, young dragon. You obviously have nothing to do. This will be a lesson to you. You have until sundown," said the elder dragon as he began to walk away, glancing back at him one last time.

* * *

Normally, wandering the streets of the dragon city, Warfang, would be an exciting activity. The golden towers, the large structures, the magnificent statues, the gardens, and the various infrastructures... Warfang was truly a city worthy of its owners.

The dragons were the dominant specie of this world and their capital, the great city of Warfang, was the greatest symbol of their power. There was not a corner of the world that the dragons did not own, not a single people that did not show them respect. The Ancestors had lavished their chosen people with glory and grace and it was shown.

All those who submitted now serve them, most notably the moles, who built this city in their honor. All the others had been mercilessly incinerated as the rituals dictated, their bones exposed in the various bone yards as a warning to all those who would oppose the might of the dragons.

The dragons had built a mighty empire and it was more than obvious that it would last for the centuries to come if not forever. What could possibly bring down such a graceful specie from their peak of power, their rule absolute?

Those matters were however the farthest from Malefor's mind. Large leather straps linked his chest to the strange, rectangular-shaped mop that he dragged about by the street, carrying out the humiliating task of cleaning up the street. Playing janitor wasn't exactly his idea of fun and without ice or water powers, his task was only more frustrating as he walked by, the various adults glaring at him.

He could hear the whispers...

"It's him, again!"

"That miscolored freak?"

"Bah! Figures..."

"That miscreant! What did he break again?"

"Hmph! Tasting his just desserts for his latest stunt!"

They all acted as if he couldn't hear them... but he sure could. He didn't care if he was smaller than average, purple, and lacked powers! This didn't mean he was blind or deaf, far from it! He could see and hear them very clearly...

Approaching one of the fountains that littered the city, Malefor looked at the pure water. He saw his reflection, showing a youthful purple dragon. His amethyst eyes already revealed a runt to him. Slightly scrawny, under-developed wings, a belly that was a bit too big to be graceful... he wasn't exactly the best-looking dragon ever. He was definitely decent, that he knew... but he knew he was a runt and that no amount of chores or attempts at training would change this.

Bam!

SPLASH!

Malefor gasped for air as he felt intense pain to his left shoulder followed by his entire body being soaked wet, the cleaning equipment falling with him and coloring the clear water grey.

"Oh! Sorry Maleworm!"

His entire body was soaking wet, the fountain was now dirty, and his left shoulder hurt like the Dark Realm. He also recognized the voice he had heard and turned to face the polar opposite of himself.

His scales were a bright yellow almost golden, his intense, focused bright orange eyes contrasting with Malefor's amethyst. His body was larger than average, nicely muscled for a hatchling, and its owner knew it. He had everything, even his horns oozing perfection, claws just the perfect size and shape. An arrogant smirk was on the face of Voltron, top student of the dragon elders. To everyone, he was the epitome of dragon hatchlings, the most promising of them all; but to Malefor, he was nothing but a bully.

"What was that for?" growled the purple dragon.

The electrical dragon's eyes suddenly widened as he was taken aback. He then turned to a nearby adult.

"Look! LOOK! The purple orphan has dumped his mop's content into the fountain! LOOK!"

Malefor's eyes widened in horror as suddenly, all of the dragons everywhere were gazing at him. Disapproving glares pierced through him from every angle as Voltron turned back to him, his fake expression of shock replaced momentarily by a cruel smile.

"VOLTRON!"

A green dragon the same age as Voltron and Malefor stepped on the scene. His rough frame and spike ball tail tip betraying the fact that it was an earth dragon. The other hatchling walked up to Voltron and sat by his side, glaring angrily at him, not allowing the electric dragon to impress him.

"Don't you ever get sick of bullying everyone? I saw everything! The second Infernus get here..."

Voltron interrupted the green dragon's speech with a chuckle before he spoke up. "The second he get here what, Galewuss? You think he's gonna take your side? Get real! You're the shameful offspring of the Earth Guardian, you were never supposed to be born! And then there's that purple wyvern posing as a dragon! ...and to make it worse, you're friends and everyone knows it! Who would believe you? I, on another hand-"

"Shut up!" the earth dragon had enough of this guy, stepping forward.

Sensing the situation souring by the second, Malefor dragged himself out of the water.

"Look, Galedorm... I... it's my fault."

"B-but he pushed you into the water! I saw him!" replied the green reptile, pointing at the electric one, who seemed quite satisfied with how it was going.

"I should have seen him coming... and it doesn't matter. You didn't do anything. If you try to defend me, they'll punish you too. Remember last time..."

Galedorm looked to both other hatchlings before sighing loudly in defeat, stepping back. As he began to walk away, Voltron turned to Malefor, a fake comforting expression on his face.

"It's okay, Maleworm. It's good that you realize your place as an inferior, half-blooded wyvern. You have no powers and will never do anything important. You're just a loser. It's good you realize this, stupid," he said in a soft tone.

The purple dragon glared daggers at the arrogant yellow one. But rather than being intimidated, the glare only made Voltron happier, for he knew he had hurt him. Anything that hurt Malefor emotionally pleased him. After all, he was so funny when he's crying, protesting, and trashing... especially when the harsher punishments were dealt.

Speaking of which, the yellow dragon caught a glimpse of the red dragon walking toward the scene, attracted by the commotion.

The purple dragon looked down as the red dragon stopped in front of Malefor, staring down at him.

Uneasy silence...

"Infernus, I-"

"Not a word," cut the elder. "Come with me."

* * *

It was tradition that young dragons that committed offenses repeatedly would get increasingly humiliating punishments in order to discourage stubbornness. After all, the Guardians had precious little time to waste with hatchlings who couldn't be bothered with respecting authority and education. Still, it was also tradition that every hatchling would be given an opportunity at being useful to the community and this, even without any skills. Thus, hatchlings that lacked talent or discipline, sometimes both, were used to carry out manual tasks such as cleaning, repairing objects, and other such tasks.

Malefor was used to this. That was not what was bothering him. What was bothering him was the price of failure and disobedience after being given that... err... "second chance" by the elders.

A price that he was often paying, now being one of those times.

CLAC!

The last of the chains was installed, the young purple dragon now firmly bound to the center of the training arena. All around him, hatchlings of all colors and sizes stood by the elder dragons, staring at the differently colored one that was now bound to the center of the arena.

His gaze turned to Infernus as he finished binding him, silently begging for mercy with a pathetic, teary stare that was actually not fake at all. The dragon silently stared back, his expression stern and unmoving. Then, as if guessing what the purple hatchling was doing, the great red dragon shook his head weakly once and turned his back upon him, walking away.

Malefor lowered his head, gritting his teeth as fear began to grip him. He didn't know what was coming exactly but he knew that it would be painful. Being chained in front of everyone during a training session was a guarantee of pain, that he knew.

"Now young dragons, it is time for the next lesson to begin," said one of the elders, approaching him.

"As you all know, should you face someone in battle, it is important to try and force your opponent into the air. In the air, your wings give you the advantage," explained the Earth Guardian, now standing by Malefor's side. He then turned his gaze upon the purple dragon.

"However, sometimes, it might not be possible to do this. In such cases, you must make use of your tail to trip your opponent before pinning it down. A pinned down foe is just as vulnerable to aerial assaults as an airborne one."

The elder dragon turned to stare at him, his serious expression making Malefor step back. The chains prevented him from backing away though, much to the hatchling's displeasure and discomfort. The Earth Guardian was, as one might have guessed, an earth dragon and as one might have also guessed, had a stereotypical appearance of one. A rougher frame, larger muscles and overall strength, a ridiculous-looking beard, horns curved backward sharply, and a tail that ended with a spiky ball. The fact that the elder was especially large, strong, had a spiky tail and had spoken of using your tail in battle was especially worrying to the young dragon. He had guessed by now that his punishment was to serve as a guinea pig for battle techniques, but there was a noticeable difference between the playful swipes of other hatchlings and the brutal, crippling examples that the elder dragons shown to them.

"Now for an example."

Darn it. Malefor closed his eyes and dived to the floor, spreading his wings and trying to cover his head for protection.

...but nothing happened.

He blinked a few times, standing up and opening his eyes, not seeing the Earth Guardian anymore.

But suddenly, Malefor let out a sharp yelp as a sharp pain racked through his limbs, the purple dragon losing his footing. The world spun out of control as his claws no longer touched the ground but before he could even react...

BAAAM!

"OOOooOOooOOW!" Malefor screamed at the top of his lungs as the spiky end of the Earth Guardian's tail smashed into his back at full speed, effectively pinning him down against the floor. He felt as his entire frame had been reshaped by the impact, his belly crushed to a pulp by the impact.

Malefor lied down in front of everyone, wings spread, tears streaming down his cheeks as a mix of humiliation and pain coursed his body. He couldn't even move a muscle and he felt so... so tiny, so pathetic. Everyone stared at him, not moving an inch. It was as if they didn't even care...

Slowly, the Earth Guardian withdrew his tail, finally removing the weight from his back but the physical and mental pain would linger through the entire training session, preventing him from listening. Not that he cared or felt concerned. All he wanted was to hide somewhere, anywhere away from there.

* * *

It was unknown how long the lesson lasted and quite frankly, Malefor couldn't care less. All he cared about was the incredible pain he had felt and just how humiliated he had been.

That was how it went, always. That was all he was good for. What sort of dragon is purple anyway? Punching bag-elemental dragon? It sure seemed like it to the hatchling. Twelve years-old already and not a single hint of elemental power had been shown. He had tried everything, he had spent so much effort and he knew the elders had tried everything too.

Maybe Voltron was right. Maybe he was just a wyvern with an uncanny similarity to a dragon. Might explain why he can't use any kind of powers and why he's purple of all colors...

As the lesson ended, all of the hatchlings left, one by one, until only Malefor was left, still chained to the center. As the last one left, Infernus approached the purple hatchling and slowly, unlocked his chains and discarded them, freeing him. Then, after nodding to the others, the Guardians left, one by one, leaving Malefor alone with himself.

Infernus walked away satisfied, convinced that the purple hatchling had learnt his lesson. But as all of the others left, he couldn't help but notice that Malefor had not moved, still lying down, continuing to sob loudly.

The elder dragon slowly walked back into the arena and placed himself in front of the young dragon, staring down at him. He had thought that the crying was from the Earth Guardian. Gaiadorm had gone too hard on the dragon, unleashing his full strength when he shouldn't have. They had planned for him to act as the training dummy for the whole session but after what the earth dragon had done, doing so would have been cruelty. But now, after all this time, the pain should have begun to dissipate and yet, Malefor's crying had not ceased. A hint of discomfort grew within the red dragon. He knew he should be impartial... but then, he knew. All of those other hatchlings had a place to come back to once the training was over. At those places, there would be dragons willing to take care of them, willing to comfort them. Malefor, him, had nowhere to go. The Dragon Temple was his home and the Guardians, his only family. He knew he had to do something...

"Young dragon," he called.

Malefor's sobbing stopped as he looked up into the eyes of the Fire Guardian. Although the curtain of tears blurred his view, Infernus stood out clearly.

"You are no longer bound. Why are you still here?"

The young dragon slowly lowered his head, head dropping down shamefully.

"That's all I'm good for, Infernus. Sleeping, dreaming, and taking hits. Maybe... maybe Voltron is right. Maybe I'm just... a wyvern that looks like a dragon."

He looked up to see the elder dragon once more. He expected him to walk away or maybe scold him for speaking ill of Voltron, whom everyone seemed to like so much. He wasn't like him. Voltron had learnt his first elemental attack one year earlier than the norm and was a natural prodigy in nearly everything. Much unlike him, the purple freak, the wyvern who believes he's a dragon.

But Infernus did none of that. In fact, the dragon slowly sat down and brought one of his paws forward, making him stand up.

"You are wrong, Malefor. It's not all you are good for."

Infernus paused, allowing the words to sink in before he continued.

"Although it is true that it is not normal for a dragon to still not know an elemental technique at your age, there is more to a dragon than just elemental magic. In all of the manual tasks that were given to you, you have excelled at them, taking greater care than other hatchlings did. And although it is true that you do not know elemental techniques and thus, could not follow the lessons properly... I have seen you, when you tried to train by yourself."

At this moment, the purple hatchling's eyes widened. He saw him use the machine and call upon training dummies? He thought the Guardians had not seen him!

"I-I'm sorry, I-I..."

But he was interrupted both by words and by something that took him totally by surprise. On the dragon's face, there was a smile. A weak one, true... but a genuine smile.

"Although you lack formal training, you have natural talent. Those techniques that you used against those training dummies... many dragons take many years to learn them, young dragon."

Wait a minute! Was Infernus trying to tell him that...?

"Young dragon, if you were devoid of talents, we would not bother punishing you. There is no waste in having a hatchling who can never learn sleeping all day, young dragon. The reason why we become angry at you when you sleep during the day is because that you could use this time to better yourself rather than just sleep away your days, wasting your youth."

"You mean that..." Malefor left the question hanging yet Infernus understood very well. He slowly nodded as an answer before continuing.

"You are a dragon of many talents. I am sure that you could learn to use the elements if you would put as much effort in your elemental training as you put creativity into finding new spots to sleep."

The elder dragon stood up, stepping away.

"There is no shame to be had, no reason to cry, young dragon. Stand proudly and make use of your time. This is all we ask of you."

Malefor slowly got back on his four and brought one of his claws to his eyes, wiping the tears off before turning to the larger dragon, a smile forming. Although the tears had yet to fully vanish, the hatchling now had a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Infernus..."

"It was only my duty. I will see you later, young dragon." And with this said, the elder dragon began to walk away.

Yet, as he did, he couldn't help but to look back. To be a Guardian required one to be impartial and to throw away all passion, treating the hatchlings as dictated by the tradition so that they would grow up into the best dragons possible. Seeing the purple hatchling's sadness and shame fade away brought peace to the old dragon's mind, making him forget about his own worries. In a way, this was the real reason he had accepted the duty of being a Guardian...

* * *

As Malefor left the Dragon Temple, his step had a new spring to it, a new energy. A smile was visible on his face, the young dragon feeling motivation within his mind anew. He passed the large gate and back into the city, feeling ready to face the world anew.

"H-hey! Malefor!"

A high-pitched, feminine voice caused the purple dragon to stop in his tracks. Judging from its desperate, begging tone, the hatchling could already guess to whom it belonged and why it had such a tone.

The dragon looked to the right then to the left. However, as he looked high and low, he didn't see anyone or anything. How strange... he's convinced he heard her!

"Above you, Malefor!"

The hatchling slowly turned around, facing the gate anew and slowly, looked up. And it was then that he finally saw her.

A black dragoness, her scales shiny and smooth, her sleeker, thinner frame hanging upside-down as she flapped her tiny velvet wings, a magical chain linking her tail, near the can opener-shaped bladed tip, to the top of the gate. The female dragoness kept flapping her wings in vain attempts to change her position but only succeeded into making herself sway back and forth like an angry black bell.

"Cynder!"

The dragoness frowned deeply as she stared down at the purple dragon, hanging helplessly from her position. A smirk slowly came to Malefor as he suppressed a laugh.

"I know that you got a sleeker frame and cute 'lil wings but geez! You're not a bat, Cynder!"

"Ha ha ha, very funny. Give me a hand, will you?"

The purple dragon shook his head. Truly, what was she thinking?

"What did you do this time, Cyn'?"

The female dragon finally stopped flapping her wings madly, her frame coming to a stop. He took note about the hook-shaped blades that were placed at the tip of her wings' articulations. He knew that as funny as it was to mock Cynder in her moments of weakness, she usually remembered the offense and well, receiving those hook-shaped blades in the eye was pretty painful.

"Nothing, I swear!"

The purple dragon's eyes narrowed as he padded his way just underneath the dragoness and looked up directly into her eyes, his expression showing that he was obviously not believing her. Frustration growing, the female began to flail her limbs, trying to get into a better position so she could stare back but gravity did not agree, the female staying definitely stuck like this.

Her struggle continued for a few seconds before she tired anew. Sighing loudly, Cynder rolled her eyes and decided to tell him the truth.

"I replaced the Mana Spirit Gem in the training area with a used Spirit Gem I painted green and then I hid the Spirit Gem in one of the fountains." she admitted.

Malefor's stern expression swiftly turned into one of disbelief as he stood there, blinking.

"You did WHAT?"

"Yeah, I know..." she said sadly... but quickly enough, a sly smile came to her as she winked at the male. "It was totally worth it, though! All of the hatchlings and even the Guardians just kept trying to use elemental breath attacks without ever figuring why it wasn't working, trying to replenish their powers from a Spirit Gem that contained none. It was hilarious!"

Malefor couldn't believe it. He stepped back, shaking his head in dismay while the dragoness couldn't help but giggle.

Really... what a crazy female! How did he ever come to call that girl his friend?

But then, she was quite the trouble-maker. Cynder had no intention of submitting to anyone and would most probably continue to cause havoc as much as possible for quite a while.

...not that Malefor whined about it. Cynder's tricks never failed to make him laugh internally and well... he was glad for the company.

When you always got grounded and punished next to someone else, especially someone as free-spirited as Cynder, it helped keeping the loneliness at bay.

"Say, Malefor... what's this mark on your back? Physical punishment again?" His thoughts were interrupted when Cynder stopped her fits of giggling, discovering the truth about what had happened to him. A bit of the shame returning, the purple dragon nodded.

"Geez! That was nasty! They shouldn't have-"

The female didn't finish her sentence, as if surprised. At first, Malefor wondered if a beetle or some other insect had landed on his face and he reached for his snout but his claws reaching nothing, he turned to the side slightly.

A loud, high-pitched yelp escaped the purple dragon and he had to keep himself from scampering away in panic as he began to shake violently, badly startled by Voltron. What was that yellow bully doing here? Why was he standing there, gazing at Cynder? Was he going to bully her too?

"Oh. Voltron," said Cynder in a cold, flat tone.

Malefor watched carefully as the larger hatchling just stood there silently for a moment, waiting a few more seconds before finally speaking up.

"Why, Cynder?"

"Why what, Voltron?" replied Cynder, her tone not even one bit nicer.

"Why do you continue to do this, Cynder? You are a beautiful, graceful female... and talented, too! Why does a wind dragoness like you waste her time playing tricks and hanging with losers like that purple freak?" the yellow hatchling pointed at Malefor as he said the last two words, emphasizing very much on the word "freak".

Cynder's eyes narrowed as a long, bored sigh escaped her.

"Oh, and I should act any different?"

The yellow dragon quickly turned back to the black dragoness, nodding energetically. "Yes! You could become one of the most respected students in the entire city!"

"You say I should act like you?" asked the young dragoness, causing the larger male hatchling to make another quick, energetic nod as a reply. "You think I should do just as you do? Defile Spirit Gems to boost my power artificially, bully other hatchlings into giving up, suck up to the Guardians and other adults like some kind of parasite, lie to everyone else and make up stories to cover my tracks, pull off nasty tricks and blame them on others to eliminate competition, and act like A COMPLETE MONSTER?"

Voltron's smile became a bit nervous but his confident expression didn't leave him. It never left him. Never ever.

"You're exaggerating! I only do what is necessary to be a good student. The best dragons get to shape up the future, that's what the Guardians say after all!"

"And I guess it involve making everyone's lives miserable? Get lost, Voltron! I hate you!"

"Geez! Such a strong word!" he turned to Malefor for a moment, his ever-confident smirk widening a bit. "Such a waste. She could be one of the top students and instead, she hangs with the likes of you. Bah. Pity can't last forever, wyvern. She'll eventually realize that the place of a dragoness like her is with true dragons, such as me, and leave you there, all alone. I'll be seeing you later, loser."

The yellow hatchling turned around and finally walked away.

As Voltron finally left, Malefor's fear finally vanished as he watched him waltz away, acting as if he owned the city and everything in it.

Head hanging low, Malefor slowly walked back into the Dragon Temple, emptiness gnawing at his mind. He didn't feel like exploring the city anymore.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Heart of Fire

**OFF:** It took a long time... but at long last, the second chapter of Distant Dawn is completed!

The next updates should come more quickly.

* * *

**Distant Dawn**

**Chapter 2: Heart of Fire**

* * *

Infernus's words echoed inside of Malefor's mind. Even with everyone's glares, with what everyone said, he had still said that he was not only a dragon but a dragon of many talents. Despite everything, despite his total lack of power, the elder believed in him...

A thought crossed the purple dragon's mind and for a moment, his head was raised as he finally decided to stand in a manner more worthy of a dragon.

It was at this time that he noticed a strange sight.

A short, furry creature was walking on its hind legs, a strange colored outfit covering most of its dirt brown fur. Its appearance was comical, grotesque even as it carried its weight with its undersized limbs, its eyes hidden under a pair of strange glasses, two large buckteeth visible on its face.

Malefor knew what this creature was. He had seen a few of these wander around the city, fixing things on occasion. He wondered what this mole was doing here. Was it here to fix or inspect something?

"What to do? What to do?" the creature's mumbling reached the dragon hatchling and intrigued him.

Obviously, that mole had a problem of sorts. He looked around for a moment, waiting to see if anyone was making its way toward the mole. But all of the dragons nearby just passed by, not even paying attention to the mole as it muttered to itself.

Seeing this, the purple hatchling walked forward, approaching the mole before stopping in front of it. He blinked a few times as he waited for the mole to notice him. Seeing as this did not happen, Malefor decided to take the initiative.

"Er... hi?" he said, hesitantly, trying to catch its attention.

Instantly, as if startled, the mole made a short jump and begun to look around frantically.

"Huh? What? Who? Where? How? Who is it?" it blurted out at a very quick pace. Malefor couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed as the mole went into apparent panic for no reason before its gaze finally locked into his frame.

"Ha! Finally! Do you happen to be a mighty dragon?" it spoke out with a heavy accent.

Well, he didn't know about the "mighty" part but he certainly was a dragon.

"Yes. You need some help?" he replied, nodding a bit as he did so.

The mole brought its right front leg to its glasses and adjusted it as it straightened its stance, an awkward-looking smile forming on its face.

"Ha! Yes! You may be of some help." it said before turning around, pointing to one of the many buildings. He pointed to a relatively short restaurant building, its side entirely covered with vines.

"Do you see the glowing object on the roof of that structure, dragon?"

Malefor turned away from the small creature and looked over at the roof of the building. It was true, there was some kind of glow on top of the building, near the edge, where the vines were.

"Some dragon hatchlings have played a prank on me and put a very important item of mine on that building's roof." it said before turning back to Malefor. "Could you fly up there and get it? We moles don't have wings so I can't really get to it."

Instantly, embarrassment begun to fill Malefor's mind. He shrugged deeply, feeling a cold shiver go through his spine. It was true that one would expect out of dragons to be able to make use of their wings to fly and it was true that dragons would learn early on how to fly.

... but not Malefor. It was, once more, one of his shortcomings. He had never bothered trying to fly too much since his legs could carry him everywhere he wanted and truth be told, as embarrassing as it was, he was afraid of heights. He had tried to pratice flying by himself a few times but every single time, his heart and body stopped co-operating whenever he'd make it next to the edge of a cliff and look down. He had thought many times about asking the Guardians for help but he never truly did so. Twelve years-old and yet, he didn't fly even once yet. Talk about embarrassment!

But still, his confidence returned as he noticed the thick layer of vines on the side of the building. Sure, he did not know how to fly... but he had picked up a few skills that few other dragons mastered. Although flying was way too terrifying for the dragon hatchling, he had learnt to plunge his claws into rough surfaces in certain ways, shifting his weight with set motions in order to pull his weight upward across vertical surfaces. In short, he knew how to climb.

When he thought about it, it made Malefor smile. Due to their wings, few dragons bothered learning how to climb so in a way, it made him feel special. After all, it wasn't every day that you could see a climbing dragon!

"Don't worry, I'll get it for you. I'll be back right away." he told the mole before turning to the building, anticipation filling him.

The purple hatchling quickly padded over to the building, confidence building up as he approached the structure. As he made it to the wall, he outstretched his right paw and placed it on the vines that covered the wall. The touch was soft and gentle, the leaves healthy. He withdrew his paw before placing both paws on the wall, using them to lift his body upward, into a standing position, using his wings to maintain his balance. He breathed in deeply, preparing for the climbing ahead, and then rose his left paw, his claws plunging into a nearby vine. As he tugged on it, the vine held on, showing that the plants were solidly attached.

Malefor nodded to himself, a smile forming on his face before he finally lifted himself upward, clawing at the vines as he begun his ascension. The mole watched carefully as the purple dragon chose a peculiar solution to the problem at hand. Although his eyesight was poor like that of most moles, the sight of that bright purple dragon hatchling climbing a bright yellow building was a sight that couldn't be missed easily.

Before long, Malefor slammed both of his paws into the edge of the roof and with one final flap of his wings, brought himself over the edge as he finished scaling the wall. As his body landed on the roof, satisfaction and pride rose within the purple dragon as he approached his prize. A strange glass vial containing a glowing silver powder. He opened his mouth and bit gently into the object, making sure it would be held steady without breaking it, and then approached the edge.

His heart skipped a beat when he looked down, seeing the floor down below but his panic was short-lived as he reminded himself that it was only a short climb back down.

A few minutes later, the dragon was done with the whole ordeal, walking back to the mole before finally setting the vial down. The dragon brought its tail forward and wiped a bit of his saliva off the object before finally pushing into it with his paw.

"Fascinating..." whispered the mole to himself, looking up into the purple dragon's eyes before he finally looked down to see his vial.

The furry being took out a small white object from a pocket in his outfit, wiping out the last of Malefor's saliva from the vial before finally picking it up, a smile coming to the creature.

"Thank you, dragon."

"It was nothing, really." replied the purple dragon.

Questions begun to rise within the hatchling's mind as he looked at the glowing vial. He had never seen anything similar to it before. In a way, that intense glow reminded him of those Spirit Gems that the Guardians would bring over to the temple but excluding that, he had never seen something sparkle like this. Even then, the Spirit Gems glow into bright colors. That vial had a silver, metallic glow to it.

He had just helped him. He felt that it would be rude to ask what the vial was... but fact is, his curiosity was rising.

Many times, he had been told that a dragon shouldn't question its place in the grand scheme of things. Every dragon had its own place, its own purpose, its role to fulfill. It wasn't that he wasn't accepting this but... how could he fulfill a role that he didn't know? Besides, what did fate have to do with asking about everything around him? Truthfully, he didn't quite understand why curiosity was considered such a bad thing. He wasn't questioning the existence of all things, he simply wanted to learn!

... and now was such a time.

That vial... he wanted to know what it was and well, he wouldn't know if he didn't ask.

"Mister?" he said in a hesitant tone.

"Yes?" replied the mole, his gaze once more locked on him.

The purple dragon hesitated for a short moment before finally, he decided to ask. He raised one paw and pointed at the vial as he spoke. "I don't want to be a bother but... what's in that vial?"

The mole looked down upon the vial he was holding and slowly, a smile formed on his face as he shown to Malefor the vial.

"This?"

Malefor nodded as an answer. The mole's smile widened and he begun to explain.

"This, young dragon, might be the future. You see, for ages, the use of magic has been exclusive to dragons. It has always been an innate ability of dragons to absorb and process the substance known as "Mana", pure magical essence, from Spirit Gems. This vial contains my invention."

The mole paused, as if to create suspense.

"I have processed a drained Spirit Gem and created the first ever form of artificial magic. I am on my way to show my invention to the dragon elders, young dragon. If my research is approved... then this may allow every specie to use magic. This is a major breakthrough!"

The mole looked around, his smile widened as he gazed upon the dragon city.

"This city was built by the moles in honor of the dragons... but as magnificient as it might be, it was built using explosive powder and other tools, which have their limits. Using artificial magic, we could build structures and machines that would go beyond the wildest imagination!"

The mole turned back to Malefor. "Isn't that wonderful?"

A magical powder that would allow for the construction of things even more amazing than what they already had? It was unbelievable in a way. The city of Warfang was a work of art, a glorious sight to behold, something truly worthy of the dragons. And now, he said that this powder would allow for even better things? In a way, it was hard to believe but on another hand... the city had been built by the moles who, most obviously, cannot use magic. If the moles were given a way of using magic like dragons could... then maybe they could build even better things in their honor!

The hatchling put all of the facts together and smiled, nodding. "Sounds great! I'm sure the Guardians will approve!"

"Really?" there was obvious disbelief in the mole's voice for some reason. Why did he become so hesitant suddenly?

"Sure! I mean, the city's already great. You said that with this, the city and other things could become even better, right? Why would the Guardians not like it?"

The mole smiled once more as he heard the hatchling's words. He stared at his vial before nodding to himself. He turned back to Malefor...

"Thank you. I'm glad to see that there are dragons that agree with me... even if they are small. Say, what is your name, young dragon?"

"My name is Malefor." answered the purple dragon.

"Malefor..." repeated the mole before nodding. "I will remember that name. My own name is Quake-speare. May we meet again sometime."

The mole turned his back to the hatchling and begun to walk away, waving at him as he went on his way.

The young dragon stood there, watching the short being as it went on to meet the Guardians. Although it seemed silly, helping people was something Malefor enjoyed. Due to his lack of powers, his days were spent lying around, sleeping and being yelled at by the Guardians for being lazy. Thus, whenever he spotted an opportunity to make himself useful, he jumped on it. It actually gave him purpose and well, he admitted that seeing people being happy rather than angry at him made him feel kind of good...

As the mole finally disappeared into the streets of Warfang, the purple dragon looked at the walls, spotting specific landmarks. If he wasn't mistaken, Cynder's latest punishment would end soon and she would most likely pass by nearby. He would not miss the opportunity to meet her when she would arrive.

* * *

"Ugh... my tail..."

Malefor sprung up, his eyes shooting open as he recognized the female's voice.

"Have you ever considered, err... I don't know... NOT playing this kind of prank on the elders?"

The purple dragon had a wide, happy smile on his face as he turned to face Cynder, closely followed by Galedorm. The green dragon was looking at the black dragoness in a disapproving way. The way Cynder was walking was quite weird and filled Malefor with the urge to laugh. Still, he kept it in. Although her walking was funny, he knew it was because of the punishment. Being hanged by the tail for hours wasn't exactly pleasant...

Just as the female was about to reply to Galedorm's comment, she glanced back in front of her and noticed the purple dragon. Instantly, Cynder's traits softened and she dashed right to Malefor's side, her expression now matching his.

"Malefor!" she let out as she screeched to a halt just in front of him.

"I'm glad to see you Cynder!" replied Malefor.

Nodding to himself, the young earth dragon smiled as well as he approached his friend. "Hey there, Malefor."

"Hey there, Galedorm."

The friends had been reunited and Malefor couldn't help but smile. As he stood there, all of his loneliness disappeared leaving only happiness. He wasn't alone. As long as they would be by his side, it wouldn't matter if all of the other dragons, if even the Guardians disapproved of him. Still... he noticed that someone was missing.

The purple dragon eyed the scenery before his eyes locked into a small crack in a nearby wall. A smirk came to his face...

"You can come out, bro."

The other two dragons turned to face the tiny crack in the wall, blinking a few times, as if wondering why Malefor turned to it.

After a long moment, a tiny, shaky voice came out of the crack. "You're... sure?"

"Sure. Everyone's gone. The way is clear." reassured Malefor.

Slowly, the crack filled with light and then, before the dragons' eyes, a tiny creature came out. It seemed to be some kind of long, thin insect with four large wings. Its entire body glowed in a yellow light with a blue-ish tone to it. The dragonfly slowly flew to the side of the purple dragon's head before circling it twice, stopping by the side of one of his curved horns, gripping it. The creature glanced around nervously, his tiny frame trembling.

"You're sure everything is alright, bro? I saw one huge dragon pass by just a few minutes ago. We should hide! It might eat us!"

Malefor couldn't help but roll his eyes, his smile widening. "Yeah, you say that every time. Everything will be alright, trust me."

"Trust you?" spat out the dragonfly. "That big green monster almost crushed you to death! Clawed, thrown about, fried, squashed, crushed, frozen, shocked... how many types of pain and bad things must they do to you before you figure out it's not safe? They're all a bunch of bullies!"

Cynder turned to the dragonfly, her smile turned into a sly smile.

"Of course you'd find them to be bullies. I mean, you never shut up, Sizzle! Even the calmest dragon would swipe at you!"

Sizzle came out of his hiding place by Malefor's horn, glaring venomously at Cynder, a noticeable frown on his face. "Yeah yeah! You can speak, female-o-fright! You're so monstrous even those monsters figure out you're better off locked up!"

"I don't stay holed in a corner all day, at least!" she replied, having not appreciated the dragonfly's comment.

Galedorm sighed, rolling his eyes. As usual, he would have to play the voice of reason. Why do those two always bicker? Oh well...

He turned to Malefor. Time to change the subject!

"So Malefor... Sizzle's your brother, right?" he asked again.

Everyone turned to him, the others' frowns turning to smiles once again. Seems it worked.

"Yeah. Born together on the same day, in the same swamp."

"Maybe... but you are a dragon, not a dragonfly!" interrupted Cynder, raising an eye ridge. "I mean... Infernus found you in that swamp three years ago, right? I wonder why you still call him your brother..."

Malefor chuckled a bit. "Hey." he begun before glancing back at the dragonfly. The dragonfly glanced back and for a moment, he too smiled. "As I was saying, born in the same swamp, on the same day, raised by the same parents as brothers. We're brothers and there's nothing that will change that."

The dragonfly nodded before turning to the others. "Yeah. Besides, if I had left him alone, he could have been eaten! This place is crazy, I tell you!"

Well, that was done with. Galedorm couldn't help but smile. They sure were a weird bunch! A miscolored hatchling with no powers, a dragonfly who happened to be said hatchling's adoptive brother, a mischievous female, and the illegitimate son of the earth Guardian... what a bunch of weirdos they were! But they were always together and it was what mattered.

"So... any ideas as to what we could do?"

Malefor had one of his mischievous smirks, quickly followed by Cynder getting the same expression.

"Ooooh no. I know why you have that smirk, bro. I don't like it. Every time you got this type of smile, something bad happen. To us!"

Ignoring his adoptive brother, Malefor turned to Galedorm. "Well... I think we could always sneak in that armory again."

Cynder's eyes lit up as she begun to jump up and down. "Yes! Great idea! I saw those bracers and that choker back in there! They were like, sooo cool! Made of pure silver!"

"Cynder... those were shackles. They're not cool." interrupted Galedorm, glaring at the female. Her excitement hardly died down though.

"You're lying because you're jealous that they look so good on me when no armor fits you!"

Galedorm sighed before turning to Malefor. "Really, that's a bad idea. Besides... we shouldn't wander off. Especially.... since... well..."

Seeing the green dragon hesitate, the two other dragons and the dragonfly raised an eye ridge. What was that all about?

"Well..." he hesitated. "They're talking about you being the mighty purple pancake and you, the black clock cucko." he continued, pointing at Malefor and Cynder in turn.

Soon enough, the two's smiles disappeared. The purple dragon shook his head, looking down in embarrassment while Cynder became strangely silent, her constant bouncing coming to an end.

There was only heavy silence, no one talking. This eventually got on Sizzle's nerves as he finally mustered the courage to rise up into plain view. He crossed his tiny arms and spoke up.

"Hey! Why the long face? We're all together, those horrible giant beasts finally leaving us alone and then, we just hang there and have a contest as to who can frown the most? Geez! That's so fun!"

As the dragons turned to face him, Malefor slowly recovered his smile. Sizzle had a point. He turned to the others and nodded.

"Sizzle's right. We're friends, we just got done with our punishments, and we got some free time. Who cares if people will point and laugh? They do that all the time anyway! Let's go check that armory again."

The other two turned to each others and slowly, nodded before turning to the purple dragon.

"I'm really not sure this is a good idea... but well, what the Ancestors? Let's do it!" replied the green dragon.

"And you know I'm always in for some fun!" added the black dragoness.

As the three dragons nodded to themselves, the dragonfly begun to panic.

"He-he-HEY! I didn't mean that! That place is creepy and scary and it gives me the shivers just thinking about it!"

But the three had already begun to move, making the small insect panic even more.

"He-HEY! Wait for me!" he yelled as he flew toward his adoptive brother. Malefor glanced back, smiling at his brother before nodding to him, stopping for a moment. Sizzle flew just behind his horn and hid there.

With Sizzle now with him, Malefor walked to the sides of his friends. Satisfied, the three left the area.

* * *

Whispers followed the three as they walked. On one hand, they had expected this. Malefor guessed that what happened at that training session must be the talk of the day... On another hand, they were very insistent and loud. It was hard to ignore them, really. Did they really think they could not hear them?

"Purple pancake!"

"Did you see how it..."

"Hey look! Black bat..."

"Punch clock hatchling gal..."

Malefor wondered what was worse. Bringing forth indignation to all other dragons and walking around under the angry glares of everyone or being humiliated, all the hatchlings pointing and laughing as they walked past.

Why did every time misfortune was to befall him, it suddenly became the talk of the town? In all of the time he spent among other dragons, he would always bring such reactions time and time again. If he wasn't angering them, he was making them laugh at him.

"Seems our antics are the talk of the town. Isn't that funny, Malefor?" Cynder had a radiant, satisfied smile on her face. She was very different from him. She was pratically never ashamed, embracing the attention whenever it was positive or negative. How Cynder managed to find all of this funny was beyond his understanding. Must be something about her being a female or something...

So he sighed, looked down, and continued his march silently.

Noticing that Malefor was mopping again, Cynder rose an eye ridge. As if she was to let that purple hatchling cry a river over it!

"You big crybaby!"

Malefor flinched, stopping right in the middle of his tracks as he turned and stared right into Cynder's sapphire eyes. Cynder saw the panic and confusing in his amethyst ones and smirked.

"What? You think you got a monopole on people talking about you? You think you're some kind of tragic hero in a ridiculous, boring really sad story where everyone dies or something?" she taunted before stepped a bit to the side, flinging her tail around as she struck a pose, motioning to the dragons walking all around them with her head.

"You realize how utterly boring life in the city is, right? Whenever something interesting happen, they'll talk about it. Why do you think they've been talking about my daytime bat act?" she then stared back into his eyes. "You don't have a monopole over talk of the town-worthy antics, purple boy!"

"But... but..." begun to protest Malefor.

Galedorm stepped in. "Look Malefor. Not everyone is bullying you. Most of them don't even care to begin with. They'll talk of it for a day or two and then they'll get back to ignoring you as usual. So why don't we just move on?"

Malefor sighed in defeat. His friends were right... as usual. He must have probably overreacted...

The two dragons smiled as Malefor straightened himself and put a smile back on his face.

Now to resume their march toward that armory...

"Hey! Malefor!"

Instantly, the three of them cringed as the most familiar voice pierced through the crowd's whispers... not that it needed to as the whispers ended.

Out of the crowd, a vivid yellow dragon had come. His smirk was just as obvious as ever, the mocking expression and arrogant attitude betraying its intentions.

The three thought about brushing aside Voltron. After all, they were in the middle of a crowded street and there were three of them. Voltron was a bully, true... but he was not dumb. He would most probably figure out that mocking the three of them would be a bad idea.

But then, all around them, other dragon hatchlings stepped out of the crowd as well. Malefor counted five of them, all of them beginning to walk around them, circling them. Before long, Voltron had them surrounded...

"Hey hey hey! What's the rush! Why don't you hang around for a while?" he asked in a falsely friendly tone, all of them seeing through it instantly.

"Let us go. We didn't do anything to you."

Voltron rose an eye ridge as he heard Malefor's reply. The yellow bully snickered silently. As if he was going to leave that purple freak alone!

"Go away, Voltron! Go take a dive in a hive of Grove Bees or something!" spat the black dragoness.

crunch!

"YIPES!" Cynder shrieked as one of the dragons that were accompanying Voltron, a large green dragon, moved in and slammed its left paw straight on her tail, crushing it.

"Oops! Sorry for nothing, sucker!" he mocked, all of the dragons beginning to laugh.

"Cynder!" called Malefor as he turned his back to Voltron, worry filling his mind.

He turned back to Voltron, a frown now on his face. "What was that for?"

"Voltron, that's nasty! We're doing nothing wrong!" added Galedorm, stepping forward.

The stares were now on the earth dragon. Voltron padded over to him non-challently before his look hardened into a hateful stare.

"Did we ask your opinion, green FREAK?"

Voltron slammed his right paw straight into the green dragon's cheek, channeling electricity as he did so. Galedorm's eyes shot open, his wings outstretched as he begun to twitch madly, pain coursing his nerves as Voltron shocked him.

Voltron pulled his paw free and soon enough, Galedorm let out a whimper and collapsed on his side. Voltron's partners in crime erupted into laughter as the yellow dragon smiled to himself proudly.

"I mean, you're such a freak even your own father is ashamed you exist to begin with! You're a shame to all of us! Why don't you go hide under a rock or something?" he added, waving a claw in front of the green dragon's face.

"Cut it out! Please!" pleaded Malefor.

"You're just a bunch of wusses." said Voltron before turning to Cynder, who was hissing madly by now.

"Give me ONE good reason not to remove your face with one GOOD blast, Voltron!"

The bully eyed his partners, smirking confidently, before turning back to the black, angry dragoness.

"Hey guys! What about we give our ice queen a fitting treatment?"

Cynder was about to pounce and lash out at that arrogant electric dragon when she froze in her tracks... rather literally as two ice dragons fired streams of freezing water at her paws. Instantly, her paws were cemented to the floor, the dragoness finding herself unable to move.

Eyes widened, Cynder looked down to see herself unable to move. She begun to struggle... but try as she might, the ice dragons had aimed well.

"CYNDER!" Malefor was in a state of total panic. His eyes were widened and he trembled.

Voltron spun around, raising an eye ridge. He suppressed a laugh. That purple loser looked so ridiculous right now! Really, what a wuss!

"What's wrong, Malewuss? Jealous?"

As fear gripped his heart, the purple dragon stepped back slowly... only for his paws to hit something hard. He glanced back slowly, his entire body shaking.

"Boo!" went the red hatchling.

Malefor let out a loud yipping sound and tried to turn around but before he could scamper away, an ice dragon, snickering, ran toward him and with a good shoulder charge, slammed into his right shoulder.

The purple dragon let out a cry of pain as he was pushed away only to have the green hatchling that had stepped on Cynder's tail to greet him by placing itself on its hind legs and then shoving him with both paws, pushing him right back toward the second ice dragon. Said ice dragon slammed its head straight into Malefor's face, causing him to spin.

Finally, as the purple hatchling careened back toward Voltron, he winded up and then delivered a mighty slap with his right paw.

BAM!

"OOOOOOW!" screamed Malefor, the claws slicing through his scales and drawing blood, which splattered all over the floor.

The sheer strength of the hit sent him straight to the floor, tears beginning to flow as his body hurt. He was terrorized, humiliated, and so were his friends...

As a serie of pitiful whimpers escaped the small hatchling, Voltron approached his victim, shaking his head in false dismay before turning to the others.

"See? Just as I told you all."

Laughter filled the air...

"What a wuss!"

"You saw his scales?"

"What weaklings!"

"They're all idiots!"

"I didn't have so much fun since a long while!"

Truly, that was a great day for Voltron! He nodded to himself and approached the purple dragon, looking at him more closely. What a freak! He has the traits of a dragon but none of the grace. That stupid belly, those limbs of his, his underdeveloped wings... he was truly a purple freak.

But then, as the laughter of his partners died down, he thought he heard a faint whisper. It seemed to come from Malefor and yet... it was too weak and it seemed off somehow.

It was then that he noticed a faint glow near one of his horns...

He craned his neck, bringing his frame down to listen more carefully...

"Breathe Sizzle, go to your happy place! Breathe Sizzle, go to your happy place!"

It was very faint but he could hear it. A smirk formed on his face and he brought a paw down. He touched something soft and then, carefully brought it out.

"What do we have heeeere?" he said, a yellow glowing insect stuck in-between two claws. He recognized it as a dragonfly and for a moment, wondered how it got here. Bah! Just as he thought! Not only is Malefor a wuss but he's riddled with bugs and parasites! That "bath" he gave him earlier must have been his first bath in weeks!

Sizzle slowly opened his eyes as he found himself no longer feeling the horn of his brother. And then, as his eyes met with the smirk of the large, scary yellow dragon, his antennas slowly lowered as an expression of pure, raw terror formed on his face.

"Ma-Ma-Malefor?" he called.

The purple hatchling shook his head slightly and slowly, got up. But as he turned to face Voltron, pure, sheer, raw horror appeared on his face.

"S-SIZZLE!"

"Now that's interesting! You're familiar with that bug, Malewuss?" taunted Voltron as Sizzle just stared at the bully, paralyzed by fear.

"Pl-please! Let him go!" begged Malefor.

"Now that's just low! That dragonfly didn't do anything to you! Just let him-" Cynder snarled at Voltron, only to have one of the ice dragons slap her, making her shut up.

"So you care for a stupid bug, huh?"

Malefor nodded quickly. "Yes! Please, don't hurt him!"

crack

Voltron brought his claws together further slightly. Sizzle let out a deafening cry of pain, considering his size. Malefor felt his limbs fail him. Failing to control himself, tears begun to pour, much to the yellow dragon's amusement.

"No! Please! He has nothing to do with this! Please let him go! I'll do anything you want, ANYTHING!"

"Anything?" repeated the yellow dragon.

"ANYTHING!"

"Really? You care for a stupid bug that much?" repeated Voltron. He had his suspicions and he wanted Malefor to admit it. To admit what he was thinking he felt about that bug...

"Yes! Yes! Please!"

"I know it would be sad about your pet... but you can always get another!" hook, line, sinker.

He pressed his fingers together further. Sizzle wailed in pure pain, his frame beginning to be twisted. Survival instincts had mixed to his fear by now, the dragonfly pounding into the claws with its tiny fists... in vain, sadly. Voltron's grip was solid.

"NO! PLEASE!"

"But if he's just a pet, why would you care so much about it?" time for the confession...

"He-he's almost like a brother to me. Pl-please... I'll do anything..." Malefor felt his limbs failing him. He was struggling with all of his strength not to collapse.

Slowly, laughter echoed. Finally, he had heard what he wanted. He wanted everyone to hear it. He wanted everyone to know that Malefor would step down to do something so low, so vain as caring for something so small and so weak. After all, why would a dragon care about such an inferior being?

Now to add injury to the insult...

"Good. Well... THINK FAST!"

He hurled Sizzle right up and lashed, his jaws opening as he prepared to swallow the dragonfly in one gulp.

Malefor's eyes shot open, time seeming to stop...

"NOOOOOO!"

He didn't even think. He just opened his mouth and blowed, putting every single speck of air in his lungs into it, as if trying to blow the dragonfly away from its fate. A strange feeling flared inside of his body and mind. As the pure despair and denial gripped his heart, he felt anger... incredible anger. He felt angrier than he had ever felt before, a rage darker than anything he had ever felt. Sizzle would not die. He would not let his brother be eaten by that bully.

FWOOOOSH!

"GYAAAAAAH!"

Voltron's eyes widened as a torrent of flames, coming in the form of a funnel, suddenly erupted right out of Malefor's mouth. The flames slammed straight into his scales, the sheer force of the impact knocking him off-course. His scales on his neck melted and the flesh burnt, pain surging all of his body.

Missing his mark, his jaws closing on thin air, Voltron fell over and fell right on his back, his wings crushed under his own weight. A sickening sound was heard and a second surge of pain added to the already intense pain of the burn he had received.

The dragons all stared at Malefor in disbelief. Did that purple, powerless freak just...

One of the ice dragons snarled loudly, bravely stepping forward to put that retarded miscolored hatchling into its place. Malefor spun around and with a mighty roar, slammed his claws into its face.

The dragon let out a cry of pain as the sheer strength of the hit catapulted it to the side, the dragon landing on its side, its will to fight leaving it instantly.

The four remaining bullies stared at each others, hesitation now gripping them as the purple hatchling stared at them, an angry hiss escaping him.

"Screw that." said the green bully. The others agreed.

They quickly grabbed into Voltron's and the ice dragon's frame and scampered away, leaving the four alone.

As the bullies finally disappeared in the crowd, the feeling finally died down within Malefor. Finding himself running out of breath, he collapsed on his belly, exhausted. He was so relieved that his brother was safe and that the bullies were gone, really...

"Malefor... how did you do that?"

The purple dragon glanced at his friends. Why were they suddenly all like that, eyes widened as if he had done something incredible?

Sizzle flew down right in front of his snout. "Geez! Be more careful last time, bro! Those were some serious flames! You almost fried me!"

And it's then that both Malefor and Sizzle's eyes widened as well, the two realizing why the other two dragons were so shocked.

"Wait, Malefor... you just... YOU JUST BREATHED FIRE!" Sizzle summed up his brother's thoughts very nicely.

He had just breathed fire! Him, the purple powerless freak, the one who couldn't learn, the ones the Guardians didn't know what to do with... out of nowhere, he suddenly went and breathed fire!

They were all cut off from their thoughts as familiar footsteps were heard.

Infernus, his expression as neutral as ever, walked toward the hatchlings. Sizzle gulped and quickly hid back behind Malefor's horns as the gigantic red dragon approached the small group and stopped by them.

"Look... we..." Galedorm was interrupted as Infernus brought one of his paws up.

"I do not want to hear a single word." he said.

He turned toward Cynder and then, blowed a small blanket of soft flames. The ice that cemented her to the floor was now gone. She shook herself a bit, feeling her limbs before turning to the Fire Guardian.

"Then-" again, Infernus would not accept replies.

"Later. Follow me."

The three dragons looked at each others. This didn't sound good...

Reluctantly, they all got up and proceeded to follow the large red dragon...

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
